March 2007 Report

“There’s no place like home.” I had to giggle about that old Wizard of Oz line when I returned to my home state of Kansas recently. As soon as I arrived, Pastor Lane said, “Did you know we are under a tornado watch tonight?” Now I get to dodge tornadoes as well as blizzards in my travels…

Not your typical Missionary Mobile
The Lord has done it again: He has provided for me in a way that exceeded all I ever asked or thought! As you may remember, I’ve been driving Pepe le Bleu, a Toyota Tercel that the Lord provided last summer. It has done well, but my parents have offered me the use of their car for my long trips this year. As I was preparing to leave on a month-long trip in Kansas, my mom was in a minor car accident. She was fine, but the car was not. We asked the Lord to provide something else for me to drive for my trip, and two days before I left, a family in their church told me they wanted to loan me one of their cars for the rest of my deputation travels. It is not just any car – it is a fully-loaded, turbo-charged 2002 Volkswagen Beetle! J I never once expected to drive a car like this on deputation! I am thoroughly enjoying this good gift from Him “whose goodness faileth never; I nothing lack if I am His, and He is mine forever!” The car’s name is now The Bad Green Bug, in honor of an insect by that name who often appeared in Dad’s bedtime stories.

Never a dull moment
I had all sorts of adventures this month, such as teaching thirteen kids’ lessons. One night, a little girl named Vanessa was sure she knew the answer to my question, “What is the capital of France?” She said, “The letter F!” J One of the highlights in February was having the assistance of my parents during kids’ meetings at their church’s missions conference (see attached picture). Another unique opportunity was teaching a Sunday School lesson to a group of 56 mentally handicapped adults. The Lord also gave me the opportunity to spend time with my grandparents and many dear friends.

Sowing and reaping
Much of deputation is sowing – I teach boys and girls about how God deserves the worship of the nations; I share with them the needs in France ; I ask the Lord to use me as an encouragement to young women. This month I got to taste some harvest: a little boy named Mason heard Emmanuelle’s sweet testimony on my DVD presentation, and after asking his parents many questions, trusted Christ as His Savior. A teen girl named Alyssa told me, “I believe the Lord wants me to be a missionary, and until tonight I never realized that there are so many ways I could serve Him, like with music and discipleship! And now I really have a burden for France!” You can imagine how excited I was to hear these things.

Prayer requests for March:

Hazel – An elderly woman who I’ve mentioned in past letters; she has been close to salvation, but is struggling with depression as her health fails.
The Foxes in France – They will be returning to the States on furlough in July and still need a couple to replace them. I hope to be in France before they leave this summer.
Deputation progress: My support level is at 40%, and I am praying for nine more supporting churches. My website will soon include more specific support information.
Resources: I am looking for more resources for counseling, choral music, and piano teaching.

Thank you so much for continuing to pray for me!

For His glory,
Kristi Colas